In Perspective

Answer: Myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) and Pericarditis (inflammation of the outer lining of the heart) result from the body immune system's response to an infection or a trigger (including the COVID-19 imitating or inactive virus). Source  (CDC) Australia Department of Health explains (in the section  How Do COVID-19 Vaccines Work ) that COVID-19 vaccines like BioNTech, Pfizer Comirnaty , Moderna mRNA-1273 Spikevax , and Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine (AZD1222) Vaxzevria or Covishield  trains our body's immune system to recognise and cleanse our bodies from viruses or bacteria that could cause COVID-19. As the COVID-19 imitating (or inactive) vaccine enters the human body, our immune system learns to spot and deal with the more serious and actual COVID-19 virus.  It is interesting to know that old-school vaccines like Synovac contain the real inactive COVID-19 virus. (A bit scary though, since you can develop a full-on COVID-19 sickness)....

What's causing your eyes and brain to shut down during the day? Why can't you keep your eyes open just when you really need to get some work or reading done? If you’ve been asking yourself, “ Why am I sleepy during the day ?” or struggling with that mid-morning or afternoon crash, you’re not alone. Millions of people deal with daytime sleepiness that makes it hard to focus, stay productive, or even enjoy daily activities. The good news? Most causes are simple and fixable once you know what’s behind that drowsy feeling. Too Many Carbs – A Common Cause of Daytime Fatigue If you're not careful, you can over-consume carbohydrates. And when you're taking in more carbohydrates than you can burn, you will get sleepy. Dr. Libby says it's either because your insulin levels are high or you might be gluten intolerant. Eat pasta, bread, potatoes and rice in moderation and space them properly. Studies show that a meal high in refined carbs can spike your blood sugar, follow...

(source: https://pixabay.com/en/users/pixel2013-2364555/) Sleep hygiene encompasses practices and habits that foster good, quality sleep. American Sleep Association  recommends 7 to 9 hours of sleep for adults and 8 to 10 hours of sleep for teenagers. Often though, people tend to undersleep more than to oversleep. And this they do for a number of reasons, including sleep disorders. Observing sleep hygiene can improve the quality of your sleep, thereby improving quality of life. With optimum sleep comes optimum levels of energy, concentration, memory, and more. Optimum sleep is key to productivity and efficiency, as well as zest for work, play, and just life itself. So let's talk about sleep hygiene. What are some practices and habits you should  observe? Establish a consistent sleeping and waking schedule. Shifting work hours may make this difficult. But if you can, try to set a consistent time at which you will retire yourself for bed. Weekend schedule may diff...

Seattletimes.com gives a very informative news article on the latest findings of high concentrations of Phthalates in store bought Mac n' Cheese Boxes.  A new study tested 30 cheese products and has detected phthalates in all but one of the samples tested, with the highest concentrations found in the highly processed cheese powder in boxed mac-and-cheese mixes. In a report cited by Mike Belliveau, 31 samples of  powdered cheese contained in boxed mac-and-cheese products were tested and 30 of them came out to contain the highest concentration of phthalates. Nine of the powdered cheese were made by Kraft. The chemical was already banned from children't teething products and rubber duckie toys years ago but is yet to be banned in foods. Though it may not directly be used in the food preparation itself, the chemical is able to seep into the finished product through packaging and manufacturing equipments used. The chemical is most specially harmful to the pregnant and the ...

A lot of women women experience pain with menstrual periods which may start in one's teenage years. For normal menstrual cramps, it is called Primary Dysmenorrhea. Menstrual pain that is associated of an underlying or further medical condition (like Endometriosis for example) is called Secondary Dysmenorrhea. In primary dysmenorrhea, some pain may already be felt one to three days before menstrual period and may continue within the first 2 to 3 days of blood flow. Women notice that it lessens with years, especially after giving birth or with being sexually active. Pain is felt due to uterine contractions which inhibit blood flow to the uterus lining.  Prostaglandins (inflammatory hormone-like substances) abound which cause uterine contractions.During menstruation, leukotriene (inflammatory molecules) levels are also elevated which contribute to menstrual pains. There are some ways you can relieve or lessen menstrual cramps: Make sexual Intercourse more frequent especially ...

I've always been attracted to the scent of lavender. I tend to look for it in cleaners, especially fabric softeners.  I also look for it in scents: perfume and burning oil incense. There is much to like and love about lavender oil. It gives a number of benefits: Insect Repellent properties. It lessens insect bites. Anti-inflammatory properties. It helps lessen irritation and makes the bites subside faster. Relaxation and Sleep Inducement. It calms the mind and the body. It releases bodily tension. Pour some oil into the burner to relieve yourself of headaches, various pains, and insomnia. Blood circulation stimulus. It stimulates circulation in the blood. It is a good massage oil option. Antiseptic and Antifungal properties. It cleans wounds and it helps clear the skin from fungal infection. Check out a 2012 publication of a study made on the effects of inhaling lavender oil in the aspects of emotional state, nervous system activity, and brain activity. Results give ev...

Heat can cause body stress and headaches. Episodes may worse during very hot, humid weather conditions. Bright sunlight and dietary changes also contribute to the severity you may experience. If you are not careful in managing body temperature during extreme hot weather, you may experience a heat stroke, so take caution because body temparature can escalate to high degrees within ten minutes. Should you feel a heat stroke coming, do this:  Lie on your back. Prop up your legs above heart level. If accessible, p lace ice packs or cold, wet towels on your neck, armpits, and groin area. Mayo clinic gives further discussion here. Here are some ways to help you reduce heat stress and heat-related headaches: Lessen alcohol consumption. Monitor and lessen caffeine intake. This includes coffee, tea, chocolates, and sodas. Aim for sufficient sleep hours. Wear sunglasses when outdoors. Keep head and face covered or shaded when outdoors. Pace exertion. Take breaks between chores ...

Don't simply depend on tablets like Aspirin, Paracetamol, or other NSAIDS to fight inflammation. Make sure you up your intake of anti-inflammatory foods first and foremost. Often, this adjustment in your diet will already be sufficient to combat the inflammation your body is currently suffering from. Here are 3 of the most effective anti-inflammatory foods to take: 1. Celery NaturalNews covered a lot of studies showing the health benefits of celery. The luteolin content found in celery is a bioflavonoid high in antioxidant properties. This reduces oxidative DNA damage in the body. Luteolin is also one of only 2 which inhibits and suppresses inflammatory responses caused by allergens. In another study, luteolin was found to help fight against DNA mutations that cause tumors and cancers like breast, prostate, and thyroid cancer. It blocks activation of carcinogens, enhances detoxification, and stimulates DNA repair. The Apigenin content of celery is found to be ...

For about 2 months now, I've been struggling with skin rashes and hives that broke out around my neck and both arms. As I've always been prone to allergic itches, I tried to dismiss them at first, thinking it will go away. But it started getting worse. So, I decided to try out these over the counter natural anti-allergy meds in Coles: I tried for a couple of days, but it did not do anything. These must just work for allergies not skin-related, I guess. So, I went back to my go-to all-around allergy medication: Diphenhydramine caps ( Benadryl). I hate taking this medicine. I don't want the drowsy feeling that comes with it. After a week of taking it, I can  begin tolerating the 25mg caps but the 50mg really puts me to sleep. Besides taking the meds, I finally got to spend more time getting to know more about histamine intolerance. With the hives and rashes worsening and spreading, I needed to lessen the influx of histamines in my body as fast as I could. I'm shari...

Fuel your desire and capacity for a meaningful and passionate sex life Familiarity, or more specifically, over familiarity, may dampen sex drive in marriage. You've seen it all, and you continue to see it all on a daily basis. Visual arousal may lessen after a lot of time spent together. Add to that the obligations, responsibilities, differing schedules, and differing personalities clashing on a regular basis. These other factors can contribute to a decreasing passion for sex in marriage. There are natural ways you can make sex interesting again and regain your high desire for it. Boost your sex drive to heighten once more your desire for your mate with some helpful tips: 1. Get sufficient sleep. Sleep deprivation lowers libido, especially that of the man's. Testosterone levels decrease when men lack sleep. Catch up on sleep and turning yourself on will come easier and more often. 2. Increase physical activity. A sedentary life 'downs' the spirit and t...

So you've chosen the high road, the path less traveled. You've chosen to take ownership and responsibility over your own body.You've finally decided to start eating healthy, to be the master and decide conscientiously what goes in. One of the best ways that can greatly achieve your health goals is to start reading food labels. Following is a list of food labels and what they actually mean. 1. High/Low GI Food Labels GI food stand for Glycemic Index (GI) which ranks food based on how fast the carbohydrate content is processed and absorbed by the blood. High GI foods quickly breaks down into sugar. Those who have blood sugar problems like borderline sugar levels, diabetic people, mothers who have gestational diabetes, etc. should choose Low GI foods in stead. Switching to low GI grants the following benefits: you feel full longer you have lesser uncontrollable food cravings you maintain energy levels you have  more stable glucose levels Some Low GI foods: who...

Are you like me? I hate taking medications. For one, I've never been consistent. Many times, I forget. Secondly, I hate routine. I get tired of doing the same things over and over again. I get lazy if something becomes repetitive. When it comes to vitamins and supplements however, I had to discipline myself into taking them. Some people don't believe in taking capsules. They say anything that's not natural is not actually beneficial and that the only way to get your vitamins and nutrients is to eat them, to get them from actual food. The problem with that kind of thinking though is it's often difficult to do that. You may need to stuff yourself with so much food in order to get all the nutrients you need in one day. Due to seasonal availability, it may also be impossible to manage an exact or rigid food diet.  Hence, stocking up on "the right kind" of vitamins and nutritional supplements may actually be good for you. Take them when you are unable ...